The Millennium Dome is having all sorts of problems, not least of which is an invasion of leafcutter ants. These resourceful creatures have succeeded in escaping from a supposedly impregnable container to chomp their way through cables and create all sorts of havoc. Insect Lore is a company which specialises in educating children about insect life, and while it dooesn’t feature the wayward leafcutters on its books, it does have plenty of other creepy crawlies for schools. The Hoppr Dome (pound;29.99) comes with 10-15 locust nymphs (and a warning not to release them). There are also stick insects (pound;12.34 each); caterpillars (pound;31.09 for 33 caterpillars plus food) and silkworms (pound;5.86 for 25 larvae). It is a wonderful way to teach life and living processes and to encourage children to nurture wildlife. And thankfully you don’t need to go to Greenwich to do it.

Details: Insect Lore, PO Box 1420, Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes MK19 6ZH. Tel: 01908 563338.